1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to processing of digital images. More particularly, the present invention relates to methods for processing highlights in a digital image to perform highlight restoration and highlight neutralization.
2. The Prior Art
When one or more color channels in a pixel saturate, the relative values of red (R), green (G), and blue (B) are no longer accurate. As a result, the final pixel color is likely to be incorrect. To correct saturated pixels which are typically present in image regions with highlights, digital manufacturers usually apply color desaturation or neutralization. The level of such neutralization usually reduces with the increased distance of the pixel value from the saturation level to minimize the neutralization effect on nonsaturated pixels. Since such correction methods affect both the color information and the dynamic range of the image, a different solution is needed.